This is the city: Los Angeles, California. I work here. I'm an ex-mayor. Los Angeles is a magnet for people from all over the world. Some of them run for public office. Inevitably some of them stray from the golden rule and rule for those that have the gold. That's when I go to work. My name is Yorty. I'm a dead pol.

Media, political junkies, community activists and a blogger are among the early arrivals at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts for tonight's CD 14 Candidate Forum sponser by The Eagle Rock Association and the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council.

6:55 Update: Place is packed! Richard Alatorre is in the house, Dave Bryan from KCAL and KCBS is here. Jon Regardie along with David Z. are ready with note pad. Crowd may pose a problem. ERNC President is making intros. Rudy Martinez and jose Huizar exchange hugs. No Trujillo in site

7:55 Update: Salary issue, medical marijuana, budget priorities are some of the questions. No fireworks so far. This is a great evening for a positive give and take on the issues. The overflowing crowd is a great barometer on the campaign.

Forum Summery: Two former friends found common ground in discussing the issues in a positive and construtive manner. Huizar knows policy but Martinez is gaining his leadership legs. BTW, Parke and Mayor Antonio Villar's Chief of Staff Jeff Carr were on-site this evening. The stakes are high for the Mayor, thus the high power turn out. those who showed wanting fireworks lefted disappointed. But then there is a bloggin dawn approaching in about six hours.

Geez, Huizar gets dinged all the time for being absent from important meetings, and today he was the only member (out of 5?) at the PLUM meeting where the City is discussing annexing the City of Vernon.

I've been at other PLUM meetings where he was only one of two present.

As I recall, 6 years ago, Pacheco was especially pissed that he couldn't even carry Eagle Rock - where he lives, where GOP is strongest (in district), and Huizar was from the southern portion of teh district.

This is also a community that does NOT like bars and liquor licenses, other than at grocery stores.

Tonight, Huizar delivered sound factual responses and answered questions directly! His experience as a public servant was present in his demeanor; his realistic and reflected his experience as a councilmember who has been a soldier fighting a financial battle...in complete contrast, Rudy did not answer questions directly nor does he have a working knowledge of how government works, he does not know the physical boundaries of cd 14 nor does he know the legal boundaries of an elected official...in short Rudy provided fictional reaponses rooted in fantasy and utopian circumstance; whereas councilmember Huizar provided facts rooted in sound public service experience...

You are wrong. Both Martinez and Huizar agreed to run a positive campaign for the remainder of the election (not just for the ER forum.) Both said they would absolutely agree to run based solely on their records with no personal attacks.

EVEN IF Spot/ Scott got this wrong,and he actually said "innovative,"Rudy would still be an arrogant jerk. Imagine if Huizar referred to himself that way? HE Rudy, never met a more innovated/ innovative person in his life, because he's too busy looking into the mirror all the time. Even LaBong isn't this ridiculous.

It was one thing for Martinez to be vague and generalized early on. One could forgive him for that. Even is he hadn't carpetbagged in, he has had businesses here, and there's a lot to pick up on in a very diverse district.

But something much more is wrong and there's some serious disconnect, because I'm guessing that people are "talking" to him about the specific issues in their area, and he's supposedly going to be the guy that "listens" to everyone.

And beyond that, his handlers must be giving him some heads up as to what people care about community by community.

But for all the "listening," he doesn't seem to be picking up anything about what the district really "needs" other than his "experience creating (a few dozen minimum wage service) jobs" and more "listening to everyone" (but to what end? - listening for listening's sake?.

After a month or more of being asked for specifics in a half-dozen communities, he's still as vague as he was day one.

If he really is "listening" - why is nothing sinking in, and coming back out as answers at these events?

Alatorre was there?!! I wouild say he was returning to the scen of the crime - literally - but he never left. Huizar, just like Antonio, is nothing more than a stooge for Alatorre - even hiring his convict sister. I thought Skelton was a lot smarter than this but it looks as if Alatorre has gotten the better of him.

Huizar's latest slick, if/when it actually MAILS following the Turd-jillo debacle is about as clear-cut a game-ender as the Alvin "doh" Parra one 4 years ago - this time putting the actual LAPD report on Rudy's "magic" transporting badge issue in people's hands. It also includes the full LA Times article (not cut-and-paste selective editing like Rudy's people did with the FBI-related Times story).

People of Eagle Rock and Downtown...do not forget that you have a second chance to improve your council representation after this election.

Council Redistricting is coming.If you do not feel that CD14 is representing your best interests, its time to shop around. Each Council District needs to represent approximately 260,000 people. The boundaries should be NATURAL geographic features or man-made borders such as freeways, that help define a community.

The boundaries should not be drawn artificially to prevent a community from having a unified voice on the City Council...(That's for the 40,000 people Downtown)..

Get your Neighborhood Councils talking..be ready to make some demands when the time comes. 2011-2012.

Do not let anybody with the name of Alatorre make your decisions for you ...again.

Since Richard Alatorre continues to show his face at public meetings..

I think this historical article is appropriate.

MAFIA TIES TO ALATORRE

19733A.-36 inmate murders occured in behind bars in 1972, 30 of wich are attributed to the Mexican mafia.

B.-[LUCHA] Director Eduardo Aguirre flees to Mexico with $146,000 of the groups funds after a federal audit finds $300,000 in federal funds missing from the groups cofers causing the collapse of the program.

C.-Community concern 'an L.A., based community self help organization,' recieves $ 1 million in federal funds. Ex-convict Rafael 'Chispas' Sandoval a man with ties to Italian organized criminals including Jimmy Coppola is the director. Sandoval also expanded Eme's political ties donating several hundred thousand dollars to Richard Alatorre's campaign for the California assembly.

How about it Scott, did Higby cease-and-desist your little expose of "false advertising" - or ??

GEEZ, and what a question. When in the last couple decades has there ever been a race in CD14 where ALL sides didn't publish pure BS in their mailers.

Let's even start last week with Rudy Rich's "FBI PROBES HUiZAR" lying slick, (when RUDY started the whole non-investigation over a BILLING DISPUTE!).

What s jircle-cerk. I tell the Times something is true (with NO proof), they publish an article saying I SAID IT (but noting that they indeed have no PROOF), and then I GO and print a mailer - LYING, cut-and-pasting the Times article to remove MY part in it, and say that the TIMES SAID it was happening!

If it's related to the linked flyer I posted from City Ethics, then his masters' at Martinez HQ probably TOLD him not to highlight it. The mailer is a clear cut case that Rudy isn't honest and doesn't deserve consideration for public office.

But maybe circumstances have dictated that it won't actually be mailed. Yes, even if it is, the added publicity of having it available online and in City records, is a dark cloud over his aspirations.

Because the real question he's never answered (and maybe reality star-struck writers have just never asked) is not what or where or when about the badge, but:

Why didn't you cooperate with a legitimate police investigation?

For that question, he'll take the FIFTH (and the 10th, maybe even the 20th).

You didn't read the report from the officers who TRIED to investigate, but that Rudy IMPEDED by bolting, lawyering up, etc.

Here's what they said (you calling them liars?):

Martinez' actions speak for themselves. He possessed a badge he knew he wasn't authorized to have. Once the Department became aware of the fact, he quickly resigned and attempted to contrive a fabricated explanation to justify possessing the badge. He was uncooperative from the onset of this investigation, refused to be interviewed and obstructed the investigators from carrying out and fulfilling their duties in appropriately investigating this matter. Subsequent to being contacted by the PSB investigators, he wasted no time in shutting down the investigation, contacting his attorney and quickly tendering his resignation. He refused to be interviewed regarding this matter and allowed no one to question him regarding the sequence of events or circumstances of this incident.

I don't know what constitutes "cooperating" where you come from, but if the police stop me for speeding, and I remove the license plate & VIN, tape my own mouth shut, throw the car keys into the storm drain, run away leaving my car in the middle of the road, and then pretend I'm not home when they come by my house the next day. . . THAT AIN'T COOPERATING.

That's the "traffic stop" version of what Rudy Rich did.

You wanta keep trying to SPIN this -- cuz it sounds worser and worser every time it's posted!

Please don't put words in my mouth, 6.50. I will say whatever I think of the police, or Rudy Martinez or Jose Huizar. I don't need you as my interlocutor.

And we don't need your fanciful examples of being pulled over by the cops. Let's just focus on the issue at hand.

Mr. Martinez admits he had a police badge, or duplicate badge. Whatever! What's he doing with a real or fake police badge?

He tells the police officer who was interviewing him that he was given the badge to use as a template for manufacturing souvenirs for a charity golf tournament.

Sounds weird to me but if that is what everybody agrees Martinez said, then he obviously cooperated. The LAPD must have had some statement from him for them to ridicule it.

Whether he resigned or not is immaterial. Are you saying the LAPD could only question a reserve for having a police badge, improper or not, but not an ordinary citizen? I don't believe that.

And is your position that a lone, rogue LAPD officer stole the fallen officer's badge, or cast a fake one, and gave it to Mr. Martinez? If so, as I said, the LAPD should have had an internal investigation.

And, just yesterday, or the day before, a LAPD spokesperson, Mitzi Grasso, said that there was no evidence of a crime being committed.

I admit I am baffled by the entire incident and I admit that I am a Martinez supporter. But I don't think Martinez has anything to answer for.

Recently the FBI decided not to pursue a case against Council Member Huizar. They say insufficient evidence, I say he wasn't guilty of anything. What do I now about it? But I am moving forward, not hung up on it.

Shouldn't we listen to Mitzi Grasso and move on? (We would if it wasn't election time, wouldn't we?)

You are, intentionally I presume, missing the point. This is not about whether Rudy committed a crime, it is about his honesty and integrity.

He lied about how he got the badge (The LAPD says his "trinket" story could not be true).

He lied about how he lost the badge. He lied about why he was forced from the department (he still maintains his departure had nothing to do with the badge). And he refuses to answer questions about why he was carrying the badge in an official police billfold with his ID.

When confronted he "obstructs" the investigation and "fabricates evidence."